月鬼 - Tsukioni
by Shion-Ai Misaki
Summary: Once upon a time, the Demon Lord wanted to hold a party and therefore invited all of his friends. The date was October 31st, so everyone had to wear a costume. The guests were looking forward to the party, but little did they know that it would end up being the most peculiar Halloween night of their lives. - a rather comedic horror story, starring the Tsukiuta cast. Happy Halloween


月鬼 - Tsukioni

Act 1 – Shady invitation

"Once upon a time the Demon Lord wanted to hold a party and therefore invited all of his friends. And because it was such a special occasion, he asked them to wear costumes for the party. And _you_ are part of his friends too. So pick up a costume and prepare for the last night of the 10th month. A description of the way you need to follow to reach the Demon Lord's dwelling is enclosed to this letter. The Demon Lord is looking forward to seeing you there and hopes you will have lots of fun.

Fare thee well." Koi read the letter he found in the mailbox.

"…what?" Kakeru seemed confused

"I don't know, I just read what the letter said." Koi answered.

"Demon Lord… Hajime-san, wasn't that Shun-san's nickname?" Aoi asked as he sat down on the couch and handed a glass of strawberry milk to Arata.

"That's true, Shun is sometimes called that." Hajime said.

"So the letter we got was from Shun?" Haru asked.

"Hmm, I don't know, maybe we-" the doorbell rang and interrupted Hajime.

"Oh, that must be Yoru. I asked him to lend me a recipe. I'll ask him about Shun-san, I'll be right back." Aoi said as he stood up and left the room to go to the apartment's front door. Meanwhile the other five remaining in the living room continued thinking about the letter.

"Well it does seem like something Shun-san would do, right?" Kakeru asked while petting Kuroda's head.

"There really is a map and it shows a… forest? And some kind of mansion?!" Koi looked at the map.

"Seriously?" Kakeru exclaimed.

"Interesting." Haru added.

"Do we have more strawberry milk?" Arata asked after finishing his glass.

"We should just wait and see if Aoi knows more after asking Yoru." Haru continued.

"Right. He's taking a while though." Koi sat down on the floor, still looking at the map.

"I'm back." Aoi entered the room again with a sheet of paper in his hands.

"And?" Koi was lying down on the floor now and looking up at Aoi.

"Yoru said that they got a letter too. And that Shun-san has left a week ago to 'take care of something', apparently." Aoi explained.

"Hmm…" Hajime was deep in thoughts.

"Hajime?" Haru asked and everyone looked at Hajime.

"Well, I guess it won't hurt, so why don't we go there. Maybe it's just Shun's way to invite us to a Halloween party. So everyone get ready for the day." Hajime said finally.

"Awesome!" Kakeru exclaimed.

"We gotta look for scary costumes." Koi said, still on the floor.

"So is there any strawberry milk left?" Arata asked again.

"A costume, huh? What should I take…" Aoi asked himself.

"Kakeru, let's go look for stuff!" Koi jumped up and the two ran out of the room.

"Do you have ideas already?" Haru asked.

"Hmm, yes. There is something." Hajime answered.

"Oh, really? What is it?" the two of them left the room as well.

"Oh, better start making dinner." Aoi said when he noticed what time it was, disappearing into the kitchen. Everyone had left the room and only Arata was still sitting on the couch. Kuroda slowly jumped onto the couch as well; with Kakeru gone there was no one to pet its head. Arata noticed and started petting Kuroda's head.

"But what about the strawberry milk?" he asked but no one answered.

* * *

The days passed and Halloween was drawing nearer. Since Kakeru already had a costume he could wear, Koi asked him if he wanted to accompany him home because he knew that his twin sister Ai would have something he could wear. Kakeru had nothing better to do so he accompanied Koi.

"I'm hooome!" Koi yelled through the house when he entered.

"Sorry for intruding…" Kakeru said. A young girl with long, pink hair came out of a room and greeted the two of them.

"Oh, Koi. And Kakeru. What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Hi Sis, where are mom and dad?" Koi asked Ai.

"They're eating out today."

"I see."

"Why are you here?" Ai asked.

"Shun-san invited us to a Halloween party and Koi said that there'd be a costume for him here, so we came." Kakeru explained.

"And why are you here too?" she looked at Kakeru.

"I got dragged along."

"I understand. Well I think there should be something in the closet in our room. So take a look, I'm cooking right now, I'll join you in a bit." Ai said and returned to where she had been before. Koi and Kakeru went up the stairs and entered Koi's and Ai's room.

"Right, I forgot that you're rich and have a huge room. This hardly isn't even _one_ room, there's a huge foldable wall in the middle. And you have a walk-in closet! Ah!" Kakeru sat down on Koi's bed, looked through the shelves, picked a manga and started reading.

"Kakeru?" Koi asked.

"Look for your costume, I'll wait here silently."

"I thought you'd help me search."

"No."

"Fiiiine." Koi started looking through the closet. While searching he kept on throwing out pieces of clothes.

"It's ridiculous how many clothes you own." Kakeru said suddenly.

"Hey, some of them aren't mine. And it'd be faster if you would-"

"I said no."

"Then don't complain."

"Koi!" Ai entered the room.

"Yes?"

"Here, I found it in the storeroom." Ai handed a bag to Koi.

"Awesome, thanks Sis! I'll try it on right now." he said and closed the door to the closet. Kakeru put the manga away, stood up and walked next to Ai.

"So, what kind of costume is it?" Kakeru asked, but before he got an answer, Koi already opened the door. As soon as Kakeru saw him he started laughing out loud.

"Sis…" Koi said.

"Y-yes?"

"This costume..."

"Very nice skirt you're wearing there, Koi-chan." Kakeru was laughing so much that he started crying.

"Kakeru!" Koi blushed in embarrassment.

"I… I think it suits you though." Ai added.

"Ai!" Koi didn't know how to react.

"I'm sorry brother."

"…I guess it's better than nothing, I'll wear this witch costume then." Koi sighed and closed the door again. Ai turned around, looked at Kakeru and winked. Kakeru started laughing again and the two of them high-fived.

When Koi and Kakeru were on their way back they encountered Iku and Rui. Rui was wearing cat ears and cat paws.

"Uhm…" Kakeru wanted to say something.

"Oh, that? We went shopping for a costume. I got a zombie outfit and Rui a cat costume." Iku explained.

"Nyaa." Rui said.

"I see." Kakeru said.

"Do you two have costumes already?" Iku asked.

"Yes, Koi will-" Koi covered Kakeru's mouth with his hands before he could say anything about the witch costume.

"Y-you'll see it then. We have to go now. Bye Iku, bye Rui!" Koi dragged Kakeru away.

"Nyaa…" Rui said.

"We should go back too, Rui." Iku smiled. Rui didn't answer and only poked Iku's cheek with his paw.

* * *

"We're back!" Iku said when they entered the living room.

"Then it's decided, Yoru will go as an angel and I as a devil." You said.

"Why are you the one deciding?" Yoru asked.

"Because I want us to match!" You replied. Yoru only sighed.

"Welcome back you two!" Kai said.

"Nya!" Rui continued acting like a cat.

"Oh? Does Yamato get a cat friend now? That's very nice of you, Iku." Kai said and patted Rui's head.

"Kai-san, did you decide on a costume already?" You asked.

"Aye!" he answered.

" _Aye_?" the others asked in unison and looked at each other. Kai only laughed, confusing the others even more.

Everyone had a costume ready for the party, yet they still didn't know if it really was all Shun's doing. They tried to contact him several times, but none of them got lucky. Without nothing left, they just waited until it was time for Halloween and for the probably strangest Halloween party they had ever attended.

* * *

Act 2 – On a full moon night

"Are we there yet?" Kakeru asked while reading a manga.

"Not yet. Which way now?" Haru said while driving the car.

"Uhm… next one right." Koi was sitting on the passenger seat and holding the map.

"Why don't we just use a GPS?" Kakeru asked.

"The mobile phones have no reception, apparently we're too far out in the forest already." Haru explained.

"It sure fits Shun. Inviting us on Halloween to a mansion in a forest with the only way getting there is a small street. I wonder what he's thinking." Hajime said.

"W-well, it sure sets the right atmosphere. Right, Arata?" Aoi looked to his left. Since Arata's costume prevented one to see his face, Aoi wasn't sure if Arata had heard him.

"A-Arata?" he poked Arata's shoulder. But Arata didn't respond, fell sideward and positioned his head on Aoi's shoulders.

"Is he asleep?" Haru asked.

"It looks like it." Aoi sighed.

"Haru-san, next you'll have to turn left." Koi said.

"Alright Koi-chan." Haru answered.

"H-Haru-san!" Koi blushed.

"But you look really cute in the witch costume." Haru giggled. As soon as Kakeru heard Haru say that he started laughing.

"Shut up Kakeru!" Koi hid his face behind the map.

"Oh, next one right and we should arrive." Koi said while hiding behind the map.

"Alright." Haru turned the steering wheel to the right and the headlights of the car suddenly illuminated some figures standing in the distance. As they approached them they saw that the figures standing there were the remaining 5 Procellarum members. Haru parked the car and they got off the car.

"Oh, hi there." Kai said.

"Good evening. What are you doing out here?" Haru asked.

"Oh we just got here too, we were just heading to the mansion."

"I see, then we can go together."

"Arataaaa, wake up!" Aoi said as he shook Arata's shoulder.

"Arata is underneath that blanket? Is he cold?" Yoru asked.

"N-no, that's his costume. He's… a ghost…" Aoi said. The others all looked at Arata.

"But that's only a plain white blanket, there are no eyes or whatsoever." You said.

"Y-yes…" Aoi didn't know how to explain it.

"Booooo…" Arata said in a monotonous voice while raising his arms and moving them around.

"…Arata." Aoi sighed and covered his face with one of his hands.

"Anyways, shall we go inside?" Kai asked and the eleven of them started walking towards the mansion. First they had to pass through the front yard. It was full moon and the moon's light was strong enough to illuminate the path. It didn't look like someone had taken care of the garden for quite some time already. Bushes and various plants were growing all over the place. As they slowly approached the mansion's front door they took a closer look at the building itself. It was an old house, probably some decades old. It was overgrown with vines and, like the garden, it seemed as if no one had been living there for years as well. It was truly the perfect place to hold a Halloween party.

"Trick or treeeaaaat!" Iku yelled as he used the big lion head doorknocker.

"Uwah, such bad taste." You said as he saw the doorknocker.

"Very cliché, yes." Yoru added. Only seconds after Iku knocked on the door it opened on its own. In the back of the entrance hall a person was already awaiting his guests.

"How do you do, gentlemen?" Shun said as he bowed down.

"How did the door open?" Koi whispered to Kakeru.

"I have no idea." Kakeru whispered back.

"So it really was you, Shun." Hajime said as he entered first. The others followed him and as soon as everyone was inside the door closed again.

"Of course, what did you expect, Hajime-sama?" Shun smiled at Hajime.

"I don't know. I really don't know." Hajime said as he took of his coat, revealing his costume for the night.

"Oh! Hajime-san's a vampire. Awesome cape!" Iku said.

"Whoa, Iku. Now that I see you in the light… your skin is green." Kakeru said.

"Of course, I'm a zombie!" Iku exclaimed.

"Nya!" Rui moved his paws.

"Shiver me timbers, a landlubber!" Kai said out of nowhere and pointed at Hajime.

"He's really losing himself in his prate role, isn't he?" Haru said and started laughing.

"So Arata is a ghost, Aoi is a mummy and Haru-san is…. uh…?" You pointed at Haru.

"I am a priest… you hell spawn." Haru said to You.

"I'm a nice devil, right my angel?" You looked at Yoru.

"Uhm, s-sure." Yoru tried to hide his embarrassment of being called that.

"Also, cute outfit, Koi-chan." You said and winked at Koi.

"I hate you all." Koi said. Kakeru couldn't help but start laughing again.

"Kakeru, why are you a reindeer?" Rui asked.

"That was the only costume I had and I didn't have money to buy anything else!" he said with a proud expression.

"Well then gentlemen, let us go to the dining room and start the party." Shun said and led the way. After passing through some ridiculously huge rooms they finally arrived in the likewise huge dining room with a festive banquet in the middle of the room. The entire room was decorated to fit the Halloween theme and even the food was Halloween-themed.

"Woooow!" they said at the same time.

"Shun, did you do this all on your own?" Haru asked while the others already stormed the banquet.

"That's a secret." Shun giggled.

"I expected nothing less from the Demon Lord." Haru said and the two of them joined the others. They ate, drank, chatted and were having a good time. Kakeru kept making fun of Koi's witch costume, Kai continued talking like a pirate and behaved like a kid who's dream of being a pirate came true and Arata kept on walking into things because he couldn't see all too well through the blanket.

"Shun-san, you're a werewolf, right?" Iku asked.

"I am."

"So, is that a leash around your neck?"

"Yes, it is. But only for Hajime's use." Shun answered while giggling and winking at Hajime that happened to be looking over.

"Eeeehhhh?!" Iku was confused and scared at the same time.

"Gentlemen, it is almost midnight. It is time I confess." Shun said.

"Confess?!" all eyes were focused on him.

"I have a very bad feeling…" Hajime whispered.

"I will tell you the real reason why I invited you here. It is because of the Tsukioni." Shun continued.

"Tsuki… oni?" Aoi asked.

"Yes. The Tsukioni. Legend has it that on the last day of the tenth month, therefore on Halloween, the Tsukioni appears in the forest, but only on a full moon night. The Tsukioni is supposedly a being that grants any wish if you find it in the depths of the forest." he explained.

"Shun-san?" Yoru asked.

"So here is the reason. I would like to invite you all in joining my search for the Tsukioni!" Shun said at last.

"Blimey!" Kai exclaimed in surprise.

"Is that story really true?" Kakeru wanted to know, he's eyes were already sparkling when thinking about his personal wish.

"Of course it is, what reason would I have to lie?" Shun smiled.

"I, the Great Detective, shall solve this mystery!" Koi raised one hand skywards.

"We'll hang ye by the gibbet ye lily-livered rascal!" Kai yelled as he held up his wooden sword.

"We'll what?!" You didn't understand what Kai was trying to say.

"How should we proceed, Shun?" Haru asked.

"We will divide into three groups. Seniors, Middle and Juniors. And whichever group finds it first gets their wish granted." Shun continued.

"The detective group shall win, right Watson?" Koi pointed at Iku.

"Yes!" Iku and Koi high-fived.

"Then it is decided, let the hunt begin." Shun said and at the same time the doors in the dining room opened on their own and a chilly wind gushed in through the doors, blowing out the candles of the chandeliers and dying the room in darkness. Only the full moon was shining through the windows. The guests froze on the spot and stared at the open doors. All they could see was a dark forest covered in mist and somewhere in there the Tsukioni was waiting to be found.

* * *

Act 3 – Crack, crack

"H-how did the doors…" Koi was the first one to say something.

"Well then gentlemen." Shun said suddenly as he lit a flashlight and pointed it to his guests.

"Ahhh!" they all screamed in fear when the sudden flash of light appeared.

"I have got three flashlights, one for every group. If you make sure to stay on the path you will eventually find your way back to the mansion. And because the Tsukioni _wants_ people to find him, it sometimes hangs sheets of paper on trees. On them there can be riddles to solve, the answer telling you where to find the Tsukioni, or even direct hints. So make sure you look for those too, okay?" Shun explained with a smile while holding a flashlight under his chin.

"Oh dear…" Hajime sighed.

"Who's the first group to go, Shun-san?" Kakeru asked.

"Good that you asked, Kakerun. How about your group then?" Shun handed a flashlight to Koi.

"Eh?" Kakeru was surprised.

"Let's solve the mystery then!" Koi said.

"Let's go!" Iku added.

"Nyaa!" Rui said.

And so the four of them left the mansion and entered the misty forest, Koi leading the group while illuminating the path.

"…Ikkun?" Rui pulled at Iku's sleeve.

"Hm?" Iku turned around.

"Hand." Rui stretched out his hand and looked at Iku.

"Alright!" Iku said with a smile and grabbed Rui's hand.

"Are you coming?" Koi stopped walking and turned back. Iku and Rui, now walking hand in hand, caught up to Koi and Kakeru and continued on their way.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Aoi asked as the four of the Juniors group disappeared into the mist.

"Do not worry, they are technically safe." Shun said.

"I don't like 'technically' safe…" You answered.

"Well… who is next?" Shun asked.

"Eh?!" the others said at the same time.

* * *

Meanwhile Koi, Kakeru, Iku and Rui continued their journey through the dark, misty forest at night. Strangely enough, it wasn't cold despite the mist, so none of them was freezing.

"The forest is rather… quiet." Koi started talking.

"True, I was expecting more creepy noises or something." Kakeru added. While they were walking, Koi pointed the flashlight to the ground to confirm that they still were walking on the path Shun mentioned.

"How do you think does the Tsukioni look?" Koi asked.

"What? You actually believe Shun-san's story?" Kakeru was surprised.

"I believe it _because_ it's Shun-san who told us."

"…you may be right." Kakeru sighed, knowing that Shun was a special person.

"Maybe it's a big… bunny demon?" Iku said.

"Bunny?" Rui looked at Iku.

"Yes. It's called 'Tsukioni', and when I think of the moon I think of the bunny living on it." Iku explained.

"I want to see the bunny." Rui said.

"But demon doesn't sound very nice." Koi had a point.

"Maybe it's a nice demon. Shun-san said that it wants us to find it." Iku continued.

"Whatever it is, we should be careful not to get separated." Kakeru said.

"Ha. With your bad luck you'd be the first one to get lost." Koi talked back.

"I'll show you that I won't get los-aaahh." Kakeru suddenly fell down on the ground.

"K-Kakeru?" Iku exclaimed.

"Ouch…" Kakeru stood up slowly.

"What happened?" Koi asked.

"Are you okay, Kakeru?" Rui asked too.

"I… I'm fine, I just stumbled over something."

"Something?" Koi pointed the flashlight downwards and found a tree root.

"A root?" Kakeru said.

"Seriously, you're so clumsy Kakeru…" Koi said and slowly moved the flashlight back up, stopping halfway.

"What is it?" Iku looked at Koi.

"There's a letter or something stuck to the tree." Koi pointed at where the light was shining.

"A hint?" Rui asked.

"Take the flashlight, Kakeru. I'll read it." Koi gave the flashlight to Kakeru, took the sheet of paper and started reading.

"My name is Ren. Once upon a time. This is a pen. How much, please?" Koi said.

"Ren?" Rui was confused.

"Eh?" Iku didn't understand.

"What?!" Kakeru joined the others in their confusion.

* * *

At the same time back in the mansion, the second group was preparing itself to get ready to go.

"Okay, I'll take the flashlight." Aoi said.

"It feels like a test of courage." Arata said from underneath the blanket.

"Kind of." You agreed.

"D-do we really have to go into the forest at night?" Yoru asked.

"Are you scared?" You looked at Yoru.

"M-me?! S-scared? N… no, I'm n-not scared or anything, hahaha… haha…" he started laughing nervously.

"Alright then." You said, knowing that Yoru was scared of the darkness since he was a child.

"Okay, it's been 20 minutes since the others went into the forest. I think you can go now. Have fun." Shun said with a smile.

"We're off!" Aoi said and led the way.

"I still don't think this is a good idea." Yoru said.

"Arata, are you even able to see anything under that blanket?" Aoi was worried.

"Hmm… Well I can see the light of the flashlight, I'll just follow that." he said as he yawned.

"Are you tired?" You asked.

"A bit."

"W-well I'm wide awake, haha… ha…" Yoru didn't want to admit that he was scared.

"Do you actually think there's something like a Tsukioni?" You asked.

"Hmm, I don't know. Shun-san said so, but it does sound a bit unbelievable." Aoi tried to think of a reasonable explanation.

"Well, I'll just go along with whatever happens." You put his arms behind his head. Despite the flashlight, the only other source of light came from the full moon. A breeze started blowing and leaves on the ground started rustling.

"Wh-what was that?!" Yoru startled.

"Calm down that was only the wind." You turned around to Yoru who was walking behind of the other three.

"Oh… o-okay."

"Come on, you walk in front of me." You got behind of Yoru and pushed him forward.

"H-huh? But…"

"No buts, I'll protect you if something should attack from behind. I doubt it'll happen though." You said.

"You…" Yoru didn't know how to respond.

"Let's keep going." Aoi said.

"O-okay!" Yoru seemed to have calmed down a bit, knowing that You was walking behind of him.

* * *

"Koi, I still don't understand that riddle." Iku said. They tried to come up with a solution to the riddle for a while but gave up because they didn't see any point in trying or how that would help them. They weren't even sure if it was a riddle in the first place.

"As I said, let's ignore it and continue searching." Koi said.

"Wind started blowing, it's getting chilly." Kakeru said.

"Are you cold, Rui?" Iku turned to Rui who only shook his head.

"I'm fine, Ikkun." he replied.

"I feel like this is getting us nowhere, maybe we should just turn around and go back." Kakeru said.

"Where's your adventurous spirit, Kakeru?" Iku asked him and punched him on the back.

"Ouch. I don't know, maybe I left it at home or-"

"Ikkun!" Rui said suddenly.

"What is it?" Iku and the others stopped.

"There." Rui pointed to his left. Koi pointed the flashlight to the same direction and discovered another letter stuck to a tree.

"What? How did you see that? Does your costume contain cat eyes too?" Koi was surprised.

"I want to read it this time." Rui said.

"Sure, go ahead." Kakeru said, Rui let go of Iku's hand, took the sheet of paper and read what was written on it.

"I'm, don't, not, ear reading, crack, crack."

"R-Rui?" Iku looked like he lost faith in Rui's literacy.

"That's what it says, it's written on different lines." Rui showed it to the others.

"These riddles don't make any seeeeense!" Koi put his hands up in the air and yelled.

* * *

"What was that?! Did you hear that?!" Yoru startled again.

"I-it sounded like a… cry?" Aoi looked around with the flashlight.

"Maybe a bear." Arata said casually.

"What?!" Yoru's eyes widened in fear.

"Calm down, Yoru. And you shut up, Arata. Don't say things like that, there's no way a bear would be in this forest." You tried to calm everyone down.

"Oh. Right. Sorry." Arata apologised.

"I really think now is a good time to go back." Yoru said.

"Look! Something's there!" Aoi moved his flashlight around and pointed at a tree.

"Ahh!" Yoru closed his eyes.

"Yoru! It's only a piece of paper or something on a tree!" You grabbed Yoru by his shoulders and tried to calm him down.

"O-oh…. o-okay… okay." Yoru was too nervous already, every little thing would scare him.

"Sorry to startle you, but, it seems like something is written on it." Aoi continued.

"I'll read it." Arata said and walked towards the tree, stopping in front of it.

He didn't say anything, he was just facing the tree. The others didn't say anything either, they were just looking at him. After a while, Arata broke the silence.

"Yup, as expected. I can't read it through the blanket." he said.

"Well you don't say!" You exclaimed. Aoi sighed and buried his face in one of his hands. Arata decided to lift the blanket and try again.

"This'll work." he said.

"Brilliant!" You said sarcastically. And then Arata finally started reading what was written on the paper.

"Oh, it looks like a riddle." Arata said.

"And?" You wanted to know what it said.

"You are lost and alone in the woods." Arata started reading.

"I don't like this riddle." Yoru said.

"You stumble across an old cabin, and decide to stay there for the night. You want some heat and light, but the only things you find in the cabin are a candle, an oil lamp and a wood burning stove. You look in your pocket but you only have one match left. What do you light first?" Arata stopped reading.

"That's it?" You asked.

"Yes, that's all it says."

"Well, easy. The match of course." You said.

"Y-yes, the match." Yoru agreed.

"I would've said the match too." Aoi added. After a short break, Arata started talking again.

"Ohh, right. You'd need to light the match first to light something else. Clever." he apparently wouldn't have gotten the correct answer.

"And… now?" You asked.

"True, what is that supposed to tell us?" Aoi was confused.

"Maybe we have to look for an old cabin in the forest." Arata suggested.

"Wh-what? No, bad idea." Yoru was against it.

"Well, we don't have any other clues, so let's keep an eye on it." You said and started walking again.

"Okay." Aoi said and joined Arata and You.

"W-wait!" Yoru didn't want to be left behind.

"Come on." You turned back and waited for Yoru.

"I wanna go home." Yoru said and the four of them continued on their way.

* * *

"Well then, Shun. What are you planning?" Hajime asked some minutes after the second group vanished into the forest.

"Me? I do not know what you mean, Hajime-sama." Shun answered.

"Really?"

"Really really."

"Hajime is really suspicious, huh?" Haru turned to Kai.

"Aye." Kai said.

"You really like being a pirate, huh?"

"Aye!" Kai's eyes sparkled.

"It's almost time, shall we get going too?" Shun asked.

"…if you insist." Hajime sighed.

"Who'll take the flashlight?" Haru asked.

"Of course that is the king's duty." Shun said and gave it to Hajime.

"Of course." Hajime said and took the flashlight.

"Well then, let us go!" Shun said and the last four entered the forest. After walking around for a while, they suddenly noticed that the wind was blowing stronger than before.

"Swounds!" Kai said.

"Are you cold?" Haru asked, but Kai only shook his head. Apparently he just didn't expect such a strong wind to blow in the forest.

"Shun, do you really think this is a good idea?" Hajime asked while covering his eyes from the wind. He waited for an answer but there was none.

"Shun?" Hajime turned around and noticed that Shun wasn't behind of them anymore.

"Shun?" Haru noticed too.

"Shuuuuun!" Kai said with a loud voice.

"Shh, do you hear that?" Hajime perked up his ears.

"Y-yes. It sounds like… like someone's laughter is echoing through the forest?" Haru asked in disbelief.

"It's faint, but yes. Like an echo." Kai had stopped talking like a pirate.

"It's eerie." Haru added.

"And it sounds like Shun." Hajime said finally and the other two widened their eyes. They didn't know yet that the Tsukioni had already found them and wanted to play with them for a while.

* * *

Act 4 – Hide and Seek

"Do you intend to say that we're hearing Shun's laughter echoing through the forest only seconds after he supposedly disappeared?" Kai asked.

"I don't understand either, but that's what it looks like at the moment." Haru said.

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Kai said in disbelief.

"I think it'd be best if we look for the others and then head back to the mansion together." Hajime suggested.

"Alright, let's do that." Haru agreed.

"I can't shake off the feeling that this is all Shun's doing. I don't know how, and I don't know why, but _that_ I'm sure of." Hajime added. As they continued on their way looking for the other two groups, the faint laughter that seemed to belong to Shun echoed through the forest several times. And every time it seemed as if it came from another direction, making it impossible to deduce the possible whereabouts of Shun. After a while of walking around, Haru stopped and sighed.

"What is it?" Kai asked.

"Hajime, don't you think something's strange?" Haru asked.

"Strange? What do you mean?" Hajime asked.

"I don't know how much time passed since the doors to the forest opened, but I am sure it should've been enough time already for the moon to have moved. But it hasn't. The shadows in the dining room we were waiting in didn't move an inch either." Haru explained.

"Eeehhh?!" Kai was shocked.

"Really?" Hajime wanted to confirm it once again.

"Yes. I am sure of it."

"Huh…"

"G-guys! Do you hear that?" Kai said suddenly.

"Hear wha-"

"Shh! Listen!" the three of them remained silent. It was very weak, but they could indeed hear something.

"…lay…" could be heard faintly. They remained silent and it started again.

"…play." someone or something said almost inaudible.

"Play?" Kai was the first one to say something again.

"It's like it's coming from everywhere at the same time, what is going on?" Haru asked.

"Let us… play…" the voice got louder with every time.

"Sh-shun?!" Kai was confused.

"Let us play. I want to… to play, ehehe…" the voice was getting louder and louder and it started echoing again.

"That's Shun's voice, isn't it?! Why?!" Kai was getting nervous. As the voice kept on repeating those same words over and over again, two bright green lights appeared in the distance. Hajime immediately moved the flashlight to its direction, but as soon as he did the lights vanished again. The same happened some more times until Hajime decided to turn off the flashlight.

"What are you doing, Hajim-" Haru wanted to ask.

"Shh!" was Hajime's only response. They stopped talking and the two lights appeared again, as if they were fearing the light.

"Let's play… hide… and seek. Let us… play…" it now seemed as if the voice was coming from the green lights' direction.

"Shun! Shun, is that you?! Stop this nonsense, it's not funny anymore." Kai yelled at the lights, but there was no reply.

"Shun!" Hajime started running towards the green lights and disappeared into the darkness.

"Hajime!" Haru yelled but no one answered.

* * *

"Okay, turn left and go straight, please." Iku read what was written on the third paper they found on a tree.

"This isn't a riddle either, but at least we can work with it. Let's go!" Koi said and started walking again.

"Ikkun…" Rui stretched out his hand again and Iku grabbed it.

"Oh, and Kakeru…" Koi turned around wanting to ask him something, but as he did he couldn't see Kakeru behind of Rui and Iku.

"Kakeru?" Koi asked. Rui and Iku turned around as well.

"Did he get lost?" Iku asked.

"That's so Kakeru…" Koi sighed.

"Ikkun, we should turn back." Rui said.

"Rui's right, Koi. We better turn back, maybe Kakeru is heading back already too." Iku explained.

"You want to turn back now that we've finally found a usable clue?" Koi wanted to continue.

"Koi. What is more important?" Iku looked at Koi with stern eyes.

"…you're right, let's look for Kakeru." Koi said and started walking back from where they came.

"Kakeeeruuu!" Iku yelled through the forest while they were walking back.

"Oi, Kakeru! Where are you? Did you get lost on your own again?! Answer us!" Koi screamed.

"There's something there." Rui pointed at something in the distance. The three of them approached the place Rui was pointing at and when Koi moved the flashlight they finally saw what it was.

"I-isn't that…" Iku started talking.

"…Kakeru's costume."

"But, but why?!" Iku looked at Koi.

"How should I know? I don't know what's happening either!" Koi bowed down and took the costume.

"Can you hear that?" Rui asked out of nowhere.

"Rui?" Iku didn't know what he meant.

"I heard a laughter." Rui continued.

"A laughter?"

"Yes. It's getting louder." he said and the three of them remained silent for a while.

"…play…hide and seek…" echoed through the forest.

"Play?" Koi asked.

"That sounded like Shun." Rui said.

"Shun-san?!" Iku was surprised.

"Yes." Rui nodded.

"Are you s-su… sure... h-huh?!" Koi's eyes widened in fear as he pointed skywards.

"What?!" Iku turned around and looked at where Koi was pointing. There were two green lights floating above them.

"R-run!" Iku yelled as he grabbed Rui by his hand and started running away.

"W-wait for me!" Koi started running too.

"What was that?!" Iku asked while running.

"It… ha… looked like… ha… Shun's eyes." Rui said while panting, he wasn't used to running.

"Shun-san's eyes?!" Iku asked.

"What in the world is happening in this forest?!" Koi screamed as loud as he could. The three of them continued running without stopping or looking back to see if they were being chased by anything. They didn't notice how something was following behind of them. After a while they slowed down, Koi and Rui were getting tired; Iku was the only who could've kept on running.

"Haa… haa…" Koi was panting, trying to catch some air.

"I-it hasn't followed us, right?" Iku turned around but didn't see a thing.

"I… ha… I didn't look back, I was busy… running for my life." Koi said as he sat down on the ground.

"I-Ikkun… what…" Rui tried to talk but was out of breath.

"I don't know, Rui. Where's the flashlight, Koi?" Iku asked.

"I dropped it. At least… we still have the moon."

"And we still have no clue what happened to Kakeru." Iku sat down too.

"What should we do?" Rui asked.

"Fooouuund youuu." a loud voice resonated behind of them, but before they could react they were already engulfed by a shadow. Two green lights emitted from the shadow and flew skywards.

* * *

"D-do you really think we'll find a cabin out here?" Aoi asked, moving the flashlight around.

"Hmm, maybe." Arata said calmly.

"Maybe?"

"I don't know, Aoi."

"What do you think, You?" Aoi asked.

"Who knows? I'm just getting tired of walking around."

"Me too, I'm sleepy." Arata yawned.

"How can you be so calm in this situation?!" Yoru was close to having a nervous breakdown.

"It's okay, calm down Yoru. Everything will be fine in the end." You tried to calm him down again.

"Anyways, let's continue walking, oka-"

"Achoo!" Arata sneezed and interrupted Aoi.

"Ahh!" Yoru got startled.

"That was only Arata's sneeze!" You said.

"S-sorry." Arata said.

"B-bless you." Aoi said.

"Why did I agree to this?!" Yoru asked himself.

"Arata, are you sure you're not cold?" Aoi asked as he continued walking, but Arata didn't say anything.

"Arata did you fall asleep?" Aoi stopped and turned around, but when he did no one was there.

"A-Arata?!" Aoi said again and moved the flashlight around, looking for them.

"Arata! You?! Yoru!" he kept on repeating their names but no one answered him.

"G-guys?" he turned around again but he was all alone, as if the other three had suddenly vanished without him noticing.

"Guys… it's not f-funny to play hide and seek now, c-come out… p-please?" he turned around once more and finally saw a white blanket in the distance.

"Arata!" Aoi started running towards the blanket with a relieved face, but as soon as he approached it the blanket vanished in front of his eyes. Aoi jumped back in fear and looked around. He kept on shouting Arata's and the others' names, but there were no answers.

"They're… playing…" a voice said.

"Ahh! Wha… who?! Where?!" Aoi was scared and wildly moved the flashlight, trying to find the source of the eerie voice he was hearing.

"…playing. Hide and seek."

"Wh-what?!" he started breathing heavier.

"…find them. You… find them."

"D-don't tell me what to do! Wh-who are you? Show yourself!"

"Ehehe… you have to… find them… hehe…" the voice started laughing.

"Find them?!"

"Ehehe…" it sounded like the voice was getting farther away.

"W-wait! Are you…" Aoi's eyes widened as he noticed who that voice could be coming from, but when he realized it was already too late and he was alone again.

Aoi got week in his knees and fell to the ground. He was sitting there, trying to calm down and clear his mind. He was trying to figure out what was happening. Little did he know that he was the only one left.

* * *

Act 5 – Just a fleeting nightmare

When he opened his eyes, Hajime found himself in a dark room. His head and limbs hurt, but he still managed to stand up. The room was empty, there were no doors, no windows, no furniture. Nothing. Only an empty, dark room and he was the only one in it.

"Shun?! Shun!" he knocked on one of the walls, hoping to get a response of any kind.

"Am I dreaming?" he said to himself.

"…you're caught."

"Shun?!" Hajime looked up to the ceiling to where the voice was coming.

"Hehe…"

"Shun! Is it you? What is the meaning of this? Where am I?!"

"You're caught. I caught you."

"What?"

"We're playing…"

"Playing what?!"

"Hide and seek."

"Why?"

"Because I like it."

"Shun, let me go. What did you do to the others?"

"Ehehe…"

"Shun!? Shun! Answer me! Dammit!" Hajime punched the wall and at the same time, the walls seemed to become more and more transparent until he could see through them. He felt as if he was trapped in a glass cube. When he looked around, he saw several other cubes, they were all in a big, empty room.

"…wh-what in the world." Hajime's eyes widened in fear.

* * *

"Okay. Aoi. Calm down, you have to think this through." Aoi slapped himself on his cheeks. He was still sitting on the ground, trying to figure out what was happening.

"If that was the Tsukioni earlier, then I should be able to wish for something. That's what Shun-san told us." he said to himself and stood up. He turned on the flashlight and started walking around, searching for the Tsukioni.

* * *

Hajime saw that in the other cubes members of Six Gravity and Procellarum were being held captive. He knocked against the walls of his cube, but no one seemed to notice him.

"Do not worry, they are fine."

"Sh-shun!" Hajime said as a shadow with green shining eyes appeared in front of him.

"You are the only one that can see them, they cannot see you, hehe." the shadow said. Hajime looked around. Haru and Kai were in a cube next to him, punching and kicking the walls, trying to find a way out. Iku was in a cube with Rui, but Rui seemed to have lost consciousness and was lying on the floor. Arata was in a cube of his own, lying on the floor as well, probably sleeping. In the last cube Hajime noticed, he saw that Yoru was crouching in a corner and You was trying to find a way out of it as well.

"Shun, stop this at once." he faced the shadow again.

"But we are playing hide and seek."

"Stop this at once. How are you even doing this in the first place?!" Hajime was getting angry.

"We are only playing a game, and there are still some that are playing."

Hajime looked around quickly and noticed that some were missing. At the same time, the shadow slowly approached Hajime.

"Let us... play... Hajime, ehehe..."

* * *

Aoi was running around, trying his best to find the Tsukioni. He was getting tired, he didn't know how much time had passed since he left the mansion with the others. He wished for everything to be a dream. As he was lost in thoughts he didn't notice how something had appeared in front of him. Only seconds before crashing into it he stopped running.

"A-Arata?!" he yelled at the blanket that appeared in front of him, but immediately after calling Arata's name, the blanket vanished, only to appear a split-second later in a different place.

"Not again… that's not him." he ignored the blanket and started running back from where he came. He continued running for a while until he heard someone's scream.

"Aaahhhh-" the one screaming crashed into Aoi and the two of them fell down.

"Ow ow ow…" Aoi tried standing up, but someone was lying on him.

"Don't eat meeee-eeehhh?"

"K-Koi?!" Aoi was confused.

"Aoi-san?!" Koi was confused as well.

"Wh-what? Where did you come from?"

"I don't know! I was running away from those weird lights, and then Iku and Rui were gone, and I kept on running, and…"

"What? C-calm down Koi, I don't understand. I…"

"I don't understand either!"

"Ehehe…" a voice echoed through the forest.

"Ahh not again!" Koi covered his ears.

"We're here! Heeeey!" Aoi screamed.

"A-A-Aoi-san!? Why are you-"

"That's the Tsukioni, if it appears we can wish for something!"

"B-but…"

"Get ready, Koi!"

"O-okay!" both of them readied themselves and waited for the Tsukioni to appear. The laughter was drawing nearer and nearer, but then it suddenly disappeared as fast as it appeared.

"…i-is it… go-aahhhh!" Koi started screaming.

"Koi?" Aoi didn't know what was happening until he saw that a shadow had wrapped around Koi's ankle and was pulling him away.

"N-no! Let go! Aoi-san!" Koi was trying to grab something on the ground, but the power pulling him back was stronger.

"K-Koi!" Aoi stretched out his hand but he was too late. The shadow pulled Koi back in one sweep and he vanished into the darkness. Aoi couldn't do anything but see the scene unfold in front of his eyes.

"Ehehe…" two green lights appeared amidst the shadows and they seemed to be laughing.

"Y-you! You're the Tsukioni, right?" Aoi asked teary-eyed, he had reached his limits.

"Maybe…" the shadows slowly approached Aoi.

"I…" his voice was shaking when suddenly something wrapped around his leg, the shadow wanted to pull him in too.

"Ehehe…"

"I… I wish this were all a dream!" Aoi screamed just before he vanished into the shadows.

"Aaahhhh!" Aoi screamed as he opened his eyes in shock.

"Haa… haa… haa… wh-what?" he was breathing heavily. He looked around and saw a table full of food and snacks, noticing that he was sitting on an armchair. He was back in Shun's mansion and the sun was already rising.

"Wh…" he was confused. He looked around and saw that everyone else was sleeping on other armchairs or on the big couch. He stood up and rushed to the couch.

"Arata! Arata, wake up!" he said while shaking Arata awake.

"Hmm…? Ten more minutes…" Arata said in a sleepy voice.

"Arata!" Aoi repeated.

"O-okay, I'm… awake…" Arata yawned. One after the other they slowly woke up too.

"Wh-whoa?" Koi said as he stood up.

"G-guys! You're all okay!" Aoi was so relieved, tears started flowing down his cheeks.

"A-Aoi-san?" Iku asked.

"Aoi, everything okay?" Arata asked.

"Wh-what?! Don't you all remember?!" Aoi asked.

"Remember what? I only remember this creepy nightmare. I was being chased by some Japanese dolls, it was terrifying!" Koi shivered.

"H-huh?!" Aoi was confused.

"I had a dream as well. I was fishing and then there was a white whale on the hook and it pulled me into the sea." Kai explained.

"What?" Haru asked.

"I had a bad dream as well." Yoru said.

"Me too."

"I had one as well."

"Same here." everyone seemed to have experienced a weird dream.

"Was it… all a dream then…?" Aoi asked himself.

"Everything okay?" You asked.

"…I don't know. But I'm… happy." Aoi smiled.

"Ikkun." Rui pulled at Iku's sleeve.

"Hmm?" Iku looked at Rui.

"I'm hungry." Rui said.

"Alright, let's see if I can make you something." Kai said as he patted Rui's and Iku's heads.

"Thank you, Kai." Rui smiled and followed him.

"W-wait! Where's Kakeru?!" Koi said suddenly.

"Ohh, you guys are awake." Kakeru said as he came in through a door.

"Kakeru! Where were you?" Koi asked.

"Ohh, that… haha… I tripped over a trunk and fell down a small slope and ended up getting lost, so I decided to go back to the mansion. When I arrived I was tired so I looked for a bed and went to sleep." Kakeru explained.

"You found back on your own?" Yoru asked.

"Y-yes, guess I was quite lucky under the circumstances." Kakeru laughed.

"With that you've used up your good luck for the next 20 years at least." You started laughing.

"I want strawberry milk." Arata said.

"We should eat something, let's see what's in the kitchen." Yoru said. They all left for the kitchen, except for Haru and Hajime. Shun was still sleeping on an armchair.

"Hajime?" Haru asked.

"Look at Shun. He's smiling while sleeping. I wonder what he's dreaming of."

"Hajime…"

"…yes." Hajime sighed.

"So you don't remember anything after a certain point yesterday night either?" Haru asked.

"So you too, huh? I wonder about the others. I don't remember coming back from the forest."

"Me neither. The Tsukioni… do you think he…" Haru looked at the sleeping Shun.

"I don't know, I really don't know." Hajime sighed.

"Did you have a dream too?"

"A nightmare, rather… we were all caught, but… it felt so real… Not like a dream at all." Hajime looked at Shun again.

"Thinking about it too much doesn't seem to help, we should join the others." Haru said.

"Yes, let's go."

"Should we wake him up?"

"No, let the sleeping beauty rest." Hajime said with a smile.

"B-beauty?!" Haru looked at Hajime.

"Come on." Hajime started walking away and Haru followed him. Everyone had left for the kitchen, leaving Shun alone in the room. After he was sure that no one was in the room anymore, he slowly opened his eyes and laughed.

"Ehehe, that was fun."

終 - The End


End file.
